The most powerful American militia groups throughout history

By Sep. 23, 05:19 AM

The American militia movement had been mostly dormant during the Bush Administration, but the election of Barack Obama gave it new life – and thousands of new members. There are currently hundreds of small local militias in the US, groups of “patriotic citizens” who own a lot of guns and spend a lot of time tramping through various wilderness areas training to use them.

These groups train to prepare for what they see as the inevitable consequences of a Democratic president, such as gun confiscation, martial law, imprisonment of dissenters, mass purges, and totalitarian fascism. Most of these groups are also opposed to federal law and feel they’re somehow above the rules than the rest of us live by. This means many have been shut down and raided by police or the FBI – with some groups involved in murders, kidnapping, massive fraud and plots to overthrow the presidency.

Listed here are the more well-known militia groups operating in the US, both now and in the recent past. Read on to learn more about these groups and what drives them.